'Sell Sag Harbor' Protests Residential Construction Ban
The passage of a moratorium on residential construction in Sag Harbor led to a protest gathering in the village on Thursday. Police were on hand to ensure all laws were followed.
An activist group calling itself Sell Sag Harbor organized the protest, saying the new moratorium infringed on property owners’ inherent right to “sell out every last parcel of buildable land in Sag Harbor for the construction of large investment properties to sell to Russian oligarchs as places to park their money in low-risk, high-yield real estate.”
Detlev Chekhov, a spokesman for Sell Sag Harbor, explained his groups position: “People still think of Sag Harbor as a residential village, even though it is plainly obvious that more than half of the village properties are not occupied by families, but are simply valuable investments that are safe options for people with lots of cash to hide—people who may be legally barred from other forms of investment because of corrupt ties to enemies of the United States. We aim to fight for these investors’ rights.”
The protest ended peacefully.